Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992

Merridale Cidery and Ditillery

Merridale is the pride of Cobble Hill on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It all began back in the the 1980's with original owner Al Piggott. In 1990, through a provincial government special order in council, the farm was one of the first within BC’s Agricultural Land Reserve to be awarded an ‘Estate Winery’ license. Since there were no specific regulations for cideries, Merridale was directed to follow the same rules and regulations as wineries…with the caveat that they were not allowed to sell their ciders to BC’s VQA Wine stores. From then on, Merridale blazed a trail as BC’s first modern orchard cidery.

Janet Docherty and Rick Pipes - Photo from Cowichan Economic Development

In 1999 Al sold the cidery to Janet Docherty and Rick Pipes. They have created a destination place for the whole family. They wanted the business to be something they would be passionate about and provide a healthy lifestyle for their family. Located on a 20 acre orchard are the farmhouse, cidery, distillery, eatery, farm store, and yurts.

Merridale makes farm-crafted Cider, Spirits, and Fortified Ciders. Made from 100% Undiluted Apple Juice that is grown and produced on the Cobble Hill farm. Some of the varieties of apples grown include Dabinett, Tremlett's Bitter, Frequin Rouge, Hauxapfel, Chisel Jersey and Bulmer Norman, to name a few.

Merridale has orchards not only in Cowichan but also owns one in the Okanagan and Crows Nest. They also have contracts with various small orchards, all of which have been grafted from their original trees on the property.

Accomendation are available in the orchard. Merridale’s yurts are circular, beautifully appointed wooden-framed tents. Each Yurt sleeps two adults and features hardwood floors, plush bedding, full bathrooms, and majestic views of the lovely orchard.

Their Whisky Jacks has been awarded Gold for Best Small Batch Single Malt at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards. Whisky Jacks was the first whisky ever crafted at Merridale, distilled in 2007 and aged for over 15 years.

Merridale Co-Owner Rick Pipes first learned about distillation when he and Janet travelled to Europe to study cider making. After that, he took a five-day distilling course at Michigan University. It was enough for him to learn the science of it; he maintains that distillation is not that complex. “The most important part about turning out a good finished product is putting in a good product”, Rick comments. “Good inputs—easier to get good outputs.

Whisky Jack’s is named in honour of two beloved men in the lives of Rick and Janet and its Father’s Day release is no coincidence. Janet’s father, Jack Docherty, loved a good glass of whisky with his friends before he passed away in 1983. And Rick’s dad, Jack Pipes, would sit down each night with his favourite malt spirit.

Cobble Hill is a small community on Vancouver Island, known for its agricultural surroundings, hiking trails, mountain biking and vineyards. It is located 45 km north of Victoria and has a population of less than 6000;

Besides the restaurant they have a Small Bites and Cocktail Lounge.

Merridale host numerous events through out the year. They started 2025 with a new years brunch. Musical events feature a wide range of styles and genres. Many events are family friendly

The farmhouse, Farm Store, Eatery, and cellar are all wheelchair-accessible.

Merridale is Biosphere Certified business.

There are seven grape wineries in or near by Cobble Hill

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Wines of Canada was developed and designed by Robert (Bob) Bell of Whi make or sell wine. Support is welcome as are suggestions and comments; should you see something that needs to be corrected please let us know.